The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 387

lakes to flight, the honest mnn is up in nnns (rlsiste), the f!emi-Christian fr~ts. All sny it is impossible, or nt least it is too difficult. Anrl St. Paul crmtenrh that it is reasonable I Yes, rensonablo, and irrational, senf!eless, absurd, to refuse Gr,,! 1mch a worship (culte). In fact, to refuse it to him is to refuse him all worship• it is to condemn ourselves to a life of worldliness and irreligion. Is it a true reliorion 'which consists in giving to prayer B hnlf-hour a day, to the Divine service two or three hours on Sunday when, even during those hours, one says to God, 'J give thee, indeed a part of my time; but my heart ?-no, I keep that for myself'? !f at least, by ~rding thus for our.selves our heart, we were happy I Let us leave aSide here the lusts and passions which enslave and shame us. Let us speak only of our plans of happiness of 0 ,ir favourite occupations, of our legitimate affections. We cannot bring ourselv~ to lay them on the altar, to present them to God, and minus these to sacrifice ourselvea to him. But are we then our masters? do we dispose events according to our will? do we hold in our hands the threads of our life and of the life of our relatives (la vie de8 notres)? Can we do anything against God? If he wishes to take away from us the objects of our affections, to snatch us away from our labour or our pleasures, to o.-er- turn all our projects, who are we to struggle against him? Is it not more reasonable to offer ourselves altogether unto him, like docile and trustful lambs, and to say to him, • Here we are ; make us what thou pleasest: thou canst take no more from us, since we have given all to thee; we are besides without fear, because we know by Jesus Christ how great are thy mercies' 1 Can such living and holy victims be anything but acceptable to God 1 and is not this worship the only reasonable one, as it is also the only loyal, free, and joyous one?" (pp. 122-124). III. Sues A SELF-DEDICATION IMPLIES NONCONFORMITY TO THE WOBLD ~-r> TB.A:s'~ FIGURATION INTO THE DIVINE WILL, (Ver. 2.) The conduct of others is not to be our standard, but the will of God. Worldliness consists essentially in this-making the fashion our standard of life. Now, in this respect we are not to conform to the worldly and pre¥ailing ideas, Saurin has a fine sermon on this verse, in which he exhorts his hearers not to conform to the multitude infaith, or in wfYT'ship, or in morals, or in our exodus at death. 1 And then, if we take the Divine will as our proper standard, we shall :find ourselves "transfigured" (µeTciµ.oprpoiia-6•) by the renewing of our minds, so that . we shall" test" (llorc,µ&(•111)and so come to understand what is that good ar.d acceptable and perfect will of God (cf. Shedd, in loc.). Now, it is in this way, by surrendering ourselves to the Divine idea concerning us, that we shall realize that individuality and influence among men which is so desirable. In fact, we become most original, in the best sense of that term, when we do not try to be original, but simply to be and do what is God's will concerning us. It was the same with our blessed Master. He professed to do nothing of himself, but simply to mediate to men what the Father gave him (John v. 19); and yet he has been out of sight the most original personality which has ever appeared in this world. So will it be with us in our little spheres if we will only e.llow God to transfigure us. IV. SuoII ADANDONllfENT TO TIIE DIVINE WILL SE0UBES DUE SOBRIETY IN OUR ESTIMATE OF OURSELVES. (Ver. 3.) The gospel delivers us from egotism; we dare ncit think highly of ourselves; we can only think of how we are realizing God's will concerning us. And so, as merely mediating God's wiser will, we think soberly and humbly of ourselves. The apostle thus commends to the Romans and to ill men what Leighton calls that "gracing grace of humility, the ornament and safety of all other graces, o.nd what is so peculiarly Christian." Our individualism will thus be found delivered from the egotism and self-esteem of worldly men, and projected al0ng the patA of meekness ond lowliness of heart which the Master trod before us. Such sober lili.11-knowledge mCLkes the Christian life a wondrous power. Contrasting with the self-assertion and self-esteem which o.re so valuable in the world's regard, the humility of the Christian becomes a power o.ntl influence radically different in kind from, hut far more fruitful in results than, tho noisy efforts of tho world. May the Master help us o.11 to follow in his meek and lowly stepsl-R. M. E. Vere. 4-8,-0lmrclimanship. Having seon what Christil\n i11dividualism is m881lt t.o bo in tho preoodiug veracs, wo now outer upon tho widor r~btiou of Churchmari.ship. 1 • Sermous,' tome 'ri. p. S-10, oto. BOMA.l!IL S86 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE HOM.ANS. [on. XII, 1-21.